Smart business owners are those who realize they will never know it all, will never experience it all, but need to continue in their quest to do both. So as you read this and prepare for 2015, consider some of these solid business building principles. Just a few thoughts that won’t take long to read but will take a year to implement. The reward will be worth it.The edge of education Yes, you have been to a zillion seminars and workshops, but think of the little “take-aways” you benefitted from each time you sacrificed a bit of your time to attend. And education isn’t always about the classroom. Here comes a blatant advertisement: Be sure to read each issue of Cleanfax. Yes, even you veterans. You will find something in the pages to use to build your business. You find tons of information online as well, at www.Cleanfax.com and on various forums and social media sites. Join groups, exchange information and keep education at the top of your priority list.Define your target market I’ve seen too many carpet cleaning companies engage in shotgun marketing (you know, shoot out tons of ads trying to hit everyone) and then find they aren’t really that profitable. Yes, they may be busy, but that’s a different story. If you are targeting high-end homes, then your message has to fit that demographic. You want to do apartments? Thousands of companies earn a high profit margin with cleaning rental units. How do they do it? They master a system. They define their target. For restoration, one thing I have heard from some companies is they don’t want the small water damage jobs. That is mind boggling to me. Those small jobs can be great referral or testimonial sources. They lead to bigger and better things. Don’t ignore them. Do something every day So you hear of some good marketing ideas and you want to implement them. You are excited. You know it will work. You rub your hands together in anticipation of reaping the rewards. But then you get busy doing something else. You are dealing with actual jobs, or with staffing issues, or you find yourself stuck in a mind-numbing project that never seems to end. Schedule a little time each day to do some marketing. Put it on your calendar and train yourself to get it done — or have someone on your staff do it. A little bit each day goes a long way.